Filler piece for boxes or showcases

ABSTRACT

Articles such as chocolates are supported in a box or showcase on a filler piece which has a generally flat upper surface in which recesses are formed to receive the articles. Each recess has a wall inclined obliquely to the plane of the upper surface so that the article can rest slopingly against that wall. The recess is at least as deep as the maximum dimension of its opening in the plane of the upper surface.

United States Patent 1191 Dogliotti Oct. 1, 1974 1 1 FILLER PIECE FOR BOXES R 2,217,953 /1940 lgou 206/45 SHOWCASES 3,114,457 12/1963 3,487,919 1/1970 Elliott et a1. 206/D1G. 36 Inventor: Amilcare Dogliotti, Neive 3,509,993 5/1970 Michel 206/72 Italy 3,578,237 5/1971 Weiss 229/15 [73] Assignee: P. Ferraro & C.S.P.A., Alba (Cunio), Italy Primary Examiner-Wi1liam 1, Price Assistant ExaminerStephen Marcus [22] [Med Oct. 1971 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, [21] Appl. No.: 190,859 Zinn and Macpeak Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 22, 1970 Germany 7039087lU] [57] ABSTRACT Articles such as chocolates are supported in a box or [52] US. Cl 229/15, 206/72, 220/2313, Showcase on a filler piece which has a generally fl 229/2-5 upper surface in which recesses are formed to receive [51] Int. Cl Bd l/36 the articles Each recess has a wall inclined obliquely [58]. Field of Search 229/25, 15; 206/44 R, to the plane of the upper surface so that the article 206M514 72; 99/171 R; can rest slopingly against that wall. The recess is at 220/20 least as deep as the maximum dimension of its opening in the plane of the upper surface. [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 2,211,869 8/1940 Tobita 206/72 PATENTEU OCT 1 1974 SHEEF 2 0F 2 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

FILLER PIECE FOR BOXES OR SHOWCASES The invention relates to a filler piece for boxes or showcases, such as, for example, boxes for cream chocolates or artist's paints, with recesses for the reception of individual items such as cream chocolates or different paints.

Several kinds of filler pieces are known which are formed in one piece, with recesses for individual items. The recesses in known filler pieces are, however, sufficiently shallow to ensure that items inserted therein project out of the recesses to enable individual items to be grasped readily. Thus, for example, in one known filler piece for cream chocolate boxes the tiller piece is provided with differently shaped shallow recesses such that two-thirds or three quarters of each chocolate projects out of the respective recess in which it is inserted.

An object of this invention is to provide a filler piece with recesses in which individual items can be inserted relatively deeply.

The present invention accordingly provides a filler piece for boxes or showcases having a flat upper surface with recesses for the reception of individual items such as, for example, chocolate creams, characterised in that each recess has at least one wall inclined at an acute angle to the upper surface and in that the depth of the recesses is equal to or greater than the maximum dimension of the respective opening of the recess in the upper surface of the filler piece.

Thus in the filler piece according to the invention relatively deep recesses are provided for reception of individual items.

The inclined wall serves as a supporting wall for the individual item which is placed in the recess with its bottom resting on the inclined wall. Cream chocolates, for example, may be displayed for individual sale in the recesses; this in contradistinction to traditional displays, in which each item rests with its bottom upon the bottom surface of the respective recess in the filler piece or box, and in consequence each item assumes an oblique position in its respective recess.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the inclined wall of each recess is a transverse wall and the opposite transverse wall has a curvature in planes parallel to the upper surface which is convex outwardly. In practice this curvature would correspond substantially to the surface of the individual item to be displayed in the recess.

The acute angle of inclination of the said inclined wall to the upper surface of the tiller piece is preferably between 50 and'70".

Preferably the recesses have a cross-section which tapers in a direction away from the upper surface, that is, downwardly.

In one embodiment of the invention the two transverse walls of each recess may be substantially parallel to each other.

Although various methods of manufacture of the tiller piece according to the invention may be employed, it is preferable toform the tiller piece of deepdrawn synthetic foil material.

The invention will be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a filler piece according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, on line 2 2 of H6. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of part of the tiller piece of FIG. I, viewed from line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

The drawings show a filler piece 1 according to the invention which is formed, in a manner known per se, of thin synthetic foil, usually in one piece.

The filler piece 1 has four depending outer walls 2,3,4,5 each of which has a slight outward inclination. The filler piece 1 is open at the bottom in the usual way and has a flat rectangular upper surface 6.

A number of regularly spaced apart identical recesses 7 are formed in the upper surface 6, each recess 7 having a rectangular opening 8 in the upper surface 6. One of the recesses 7 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. It will be seen that the recess 7 is deep in relation to the dimensions of the opening 8 thereof.

In the embodiment shown the length 9 of each opening 8 is greater than the width 10 thereof (FIG. 1). The depth 11 of each recess 7 is greater than the length 9 of its opening 8.

Each of the recesses 7 has a major supporting wall 12 which is inclined to the upper surface 6, in this example at an acute angle of 60, so that each of the walls 12 encloses with the upper surface 6 an obtuse angle, of 120 in ths example. The angle of inclination of the wall 12 may vary within limits for different filler pieces, for example between 50 and The inclination of the wall 12 must be such that the bottom 13 (shown in broken outline in FIG. 2) of a cream chocolate l4, lies flat against the wall 12 and is supported thereby. A transverse wall 15 opposite the inclined supporting wall 12 of the recess 7 is, as shown in FIG. 3, of outwardly convex semi-circular crosssectional shape. This shaped part of the wall 15 extends upwardly from the base wall 16 of the recess for twothirds of the total height 11 of the recess 7; above this height the wall 15 changes shape for the upper third of the recess 7, defining an enlarged mouth for the recess 7 which undergoes a uniformly rounded transition to the rectangular shape of the opening 8, so that the upper edge 17 of the transverse wall 15 is straight The upper part of the transverse wall 15 facilitates ready withdrawal of the individual item, for example the cream chocolate 14, from the recess 7.

What I claim is: l. A filler piece for boxes and the like comprising a flat upper surface having a plurality of recesses for the reception of individual items,-each. of said recesses having a first flat wall intersecting the plane of the upper surface at an oblique angle and extending the full depth of the recess, a second wall opposed to said first wall, and a pair of flat side walls disposed perpendicular to said upper surface and a bottom connecting said first and second walls, said second wall having a curved concave lower portion inclined obliquely to the plane of said upper surface and intersecting the bottom edge of said first wall adjacent said side walls and said bottom, and an upper portion which is curved away from said first wall to define an enlarged entrance to the recess to facilitate the extraction of an item therefrom.

2. A filler piece as set forth inclaim .1 wherein said recesses are equally spaced over the upper surface and 3 4 the opening of each recess in the plane of said upper the upper surface and the lower portion of the second Surface subsmmwuy rectangular wall has a depth which is substantially two-thirds of the 3. A filler piece as set forth in claim 1 wherein the full depth of the recess is at least as great as the maximum total depth of the recessdimension of the opening of the recess in the plane of 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 838,806 Dated October 10, 1974 Inventoflg) Amilcare DOGLIOTTI It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On page 1, under the heading of Assignee, please change "P. Ferraro & C,S.P,A. Alba (Cunio), Italy" to --P. Ferrero & C.S.p.1

Alba (Cuneo), Italy--.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of April 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

-C ILXRSEALL DANN Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks RUTH C. MASON Attesting, Officer FORM P040543 "0 69) UICOMM'DC 03376 i la. OOVKIIIIIY alumna orncl nu c m-an 

1. A filler piece for boxes and the like comprising a flat upper surface having a plurality of recesses for the reception of individual items, each of said recesses having a first flat wall intersecting the plane of the upper surface at an oblique angle and extending the full depth of the recess, a second wall opposed to said first wall, and a pair of flat side walls disposed perpendicular to said upper surface and a bottom connecting said first and second walls, said second wall having a curved concave lower portion inclined obliquely to the plane of said upper surface and intersecting the bottom edge of said first wall adjacent said side walls and said bottom, and an upper portion which is curved away from said first wall to define an enlarged entrance to the recess to facilitate the extraction of an item therefrom.
 2. A filler piece as set forth in claim 1 wherein said recesses are equally spaced over the upper surface and the opening of each recess in the plane of said upper surface is substantially rectangular.
 3. A filler piece as set forth in claim 1 wherein the full depth of the recess is at least as great as the maximum dimension of the opening of the recess in the plane of the upper surface and the lower portion of the second wall has a depth which is substantially two-thirds of the total depth of the recess. 